The Fall of Rainbow Land
by Edenfire
Summary: The Dark One who used to rule Rainbow Land has finally returned. The only thing standing between him is a bewildered Rainbow Brite, and a troubled teen whose destiny might play right into the Dark One's hand. Please Read and Respond.


Disclaimers: Rainbow Brite and other characters are property or Hallmark, with the exception of Chris, who is both my own creation, and in no way meant to be relative to 'Krys' from the Star Stealer movie. Redistribution of this fan-fic, or any attempts to write your own sequels or follow-up stories are fine, just let me know.The featured fanart belongs to Shadowsaturn, who did an amazing job of making Rainbow Brite and the Color Kids look older, and perfect for the story I'm writing. The link to the image is set as my homepage, in my profile.

Fade to Black

Prologue:

Before the time of Rainbow Brite, or even the young girl named Wisp, Rainbow Land was a place of darkness. Ruled by a dark, and evil being, the inhabitants of this land were forced into either hiding, or slavery. The tomes of the age correctly predicted every turn of the times: the rule of the Dark One; His fall at the hands of a young girl, and the return of the land to a bright and innocent place, home to color the galaxy over.

There was one prophecy, however, which never came to pass during the Dark One's reign. It told of the return of Rainbow Land to that of a barren land:

_The stranger comes bearing dark, bearing light,_

_Salvation and ruination to the land so Brite._

_The vessel he shall be of the ruler of old,_

_Returning the Brite land to grey and cold._

Now, that prophecy is beginning to become true. And the fate of Rainbow Land, its inhabitants, and all hope everywhere, is in the hands of one boy from Earth, who sits between the lines of light and dark, yet to chose a side.

Chapter 1: Dreamlands to Believelands

"How do you feel today, Chris?"

Chris took a deep breath, and slowly let it fall out of him, "Tired," he replied. He hated everything about seeing a therapist. He felt so singled out and criticized, whenever he sat down in that chair. Running a hand through his brown, shaggy hair, he bit his lip, and awaited the rest of the questions.

"Tired of what," the doctor asked, his pen tapped on the notepad.

"Pretty much everything. I'm just exhausted. Mentally."

"You aren't thinking of suicide again, are you?"

"Oh, hell no," Chris groaned, shaking his head in defense, "That hill's been long since passed. I... I don't really know, just tired of feeling."

The therapists pen began to scribble barely-legible notes, "Feeling depressed? Or feeling in general?"

"Both, I guess. I just have those moments when I feel normal again, then all at once I feel depressed. I get that sunken feeling in my chest."

The doctor nodded, "That's bipolar disorder for you. Listen, from what I know of you so far, your hearts in the right place, but you take responsibility for things that are completely beyond your control Because of that, you make life so much harder than it should be for someone your age." He leaned back in his seat, making himself look all the more pretentious as he spoke, "I know you're only 18, but you're living on your own, and trying to do too much at once: work full-time, school whenever you can. But you'll never be able to breath with all that happening around you. You need to take a few days, and collect yourself. Find out who you are- what you think, what makes you happy and stable. What it takes to make you smile more."

Chris stood up. He had another 15 minutes left of his session, but he was done for today, "That's the issue. I'm just too stressed out to smile about anything."

He didn't wait for a reply. He grabbed his jacket from the hanger near the door and walked out of the office. The secretary held up a hand as he passed, trying to talk him into another appointment. Chris just shrugged and kept moving. This wasn't helping. And having some stranger tell him what was wrong with him only seemed to make things worse.

He stepped through the front doors, and looked to the sky. Another rainy day, fifth this week. Pulling up on the rim of his baggy blue jeans to keep the legs from getting walked on, he zipped up his jacket, and headed into the falling mist.

Somewhere, a rainbow connected Earth to a far away land.

The blue skies were so clear here it looked as if white clouds were simply hung in the sky. Green fields of grass and meadows of flowers of every shade sat on hills under a golden sun. In the valley nearby, a village sang a cheery song in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Small creatures, of only a few feet high, and in every color of the spectrum, ran about the town. Their star-topped antennae bobbed as their feet raced about their tasks.

This was paradise.

And the capital of this paradise sat on a small island in the middle of the town, connected only by a single lane bridge that arced over a crystal-blue sparkling moat. Only a few stories high, the modest castle towered over the rest of the town, a golden yellow tower that stood proudly against the backdrop of this beautiful land, it's star-shaped windows glinted the sun's rays across the land.

Inside, a young blonde girl, about 16 years of age, watched from her window as the small creatures, the Sprites, made their little town go around. Smiling innocently, she took a deep breath, and looked to her side.

Another Sprite, this one colorless looked up with a smile, "Are we going now, Rainbow," he asked, a light squeak of excitement flowing from his lips.

"We are, Twink," the girl said, straightening out her blue short skirt, and smoothing off the white trim to it. Out of habit, she placed a hand over her belt, a red strap with a large rainbow over the buckle, which culminated in a yellow star. It seemed to meld with the red suspenders that accompanied her outfit.

She outstretched her hands over her head, the puffs on her sleeves, a ruffle for each color of the spectrum, pulled straight against her arms. Pulling on her boots, which matched her sleeves to a T, she followed after Twink, a girlish giggle filtering from her lungs as she gave chase to the small creature, "Earth has been too rainy for a couple of days too long. Let's go brighten things up!"

Chris had nearly made it home when if began to pour down rain from the dark grey and cloudy skies. He shook his head, and tried to rid himself from some of the water that was drenching his head and face.

"Why does it always rain harder when you get closer to home," he wondered aloud. Even the streets were empty now. He hadn't seen a car for almost five minutes now, and it made him feel even more isolated.

"What does it take to get these people to look up and see the rainbows," The blonde girl asked. From high above, she sat atop of the very arc of colors she resembled, a white steed with multi-colored mane and tail as her guide. Twink sat behind her, looking around her to see what she was talking about.

The horse lifted its head and let out a light whiney, "You know as well as I do, that most humans are too preoccupied with their own lives to bother looking around. Or _up _for that matter!"

"I know, Starlite," the girl answered, "But our job is to make them smile, even if they don't want to! C'mon!"

She gave Starlite a light tap with her boot. The horse knew too well what she wanted to do, "You did this once before, Rainbow Brite. I know you remember Brian."

Rainbow sighed, pulling her blonde hair back into a ponytail with a purple ribbon, "I know, Starlite, I know. But one bad experience doesn't mean giving up is the only action left."

Pressing a hand to the star on her belt buckle, a beam of colors poured forth, falling into another arc that landed ahead of the brown-haired teen by only a few feet.

"Well, if he doesn't see it, at least he'll be covered in it," Rainbow smiled, giving her friends a light matter-of-fact snap of her fingers, "And if that doesn't get a reaction, nothing will!"

The rainbow landed, and instantly, the clouds began to clear up. The rain slowed. Drizzled lightly. Then stopped entirely. Birds began to chirp, and in the distance, children could be heard laughing as they ran outside to play in the puddles.

Chris looked up, "What in th–," He ran face first into a wall of color, and stumbled backwards, landing on his butt. Groaning, he sat up on his hands, and shook his head. For a moment, his head was hazy from the sudden change in direction. Opening his eyes and looking up, Chris felt the breath leave him as he gasped aloud.

"Well that's new," he said breathlessly. Astounded as he was, the sarcastic demeanor in his tone made him just sound pleasantly surprised. He tilted his head back, trying to capture the immense bow in his gaze, but it was too large, at least from where he was sitting on his knees.

Above, Rainbow Brite rose her hands to her mouth, "Oh no! That wasn't supposed to happen!"

Starlite stiffled a laugh, and reared his head back a bit, "It wasn't? Well what were you going for, then?"

"Well, when Brian didn't see the rainbow, he walked inside it," Rainbow said as she began to feel guilty and a bit panicky, "Why did this boy just run into it like that?"

"That's a good question," Twink replied, his face looking a bit concerned as well, "Should we get out of here?"

Rainbow shook her head, "Without seeing if he's alright? How would just running into something make anyone smile? We have to at least make sure he's feeling ok!"

Chris stood, and dusted off the seat of his pants, and looked up on unabashed awe. He held out his hand, and touched the rainbow with his fingertips, and noting that even though the air was still a bit chilled from the rain, the colors were warm, and the sheer feeling of being close to them made him feel like smiling.

"Hello there!"

Chris looked up, while his jaw dropped. A girl in blue riding a white horse looked down at him from atop the rainbow, "Are you alright," she asked, "You took quite the tumble!"

"Uhh... yeah," he stammered, racking his brain for any reasoning that would make anything about this moment feasible.

"Whats the matter, never seen a horse as magnificent as me," the horse asked him.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me," Chris sighed, his focus changing to the talking animal, "Am I still unconscious? Because all this is beginning to feel really stupid."

The girl giggled, and stepped from her horse, "Nope, it's all real," she held out her hand, "My name is Rainbow Brite, this is my horse, Starlite, and my friend Twink."

Twink poked his head out from behind Starlite's neck, and waved.

Chris gave them an unsure look, but waved back regardless, then took Rainbow's hand, "I'm Chris."

"Are you alright," Rainbow asked, "I saw you fall."

"Yeah," Chris nodded, "Nothing big, just ran into the rainbow. Happens to everyone."

Rainbow giggled, and clasped her hands together behind her back. She leaned in a little bit, "Nope, just you. I've made rainbows all my life, and only once before today. The other boy went through it. Which begs my asking, why wouldn't you do the same thing?"

Chris gave her an annoyed look, "How should I know, this isn't what I was studying in school."

"Well," she smiled, "Try again."

Chris raised an eyebrow, a quizzical look crossing his face, "What? _'Try again'_? That thing hit me in the face last time, I'm not going anywhere ne–"

"Scared of the pretty colors, are we," Starlite prodded, "Well, I shouldn't be surprised after what just happened."

Rainbow turned around, and held a finger to his mouth, "Shh. That wasn't his fault, I was the one who made it."

"Whoa, hold up," Chris stepped forward, his hands held up in confusion, "Did you say you 'made' the rainbow?"

Rainbow turned back to him and smiled again, "Well, yeah! I help to make _all _the color in the _world_."

Chris looked at her, his eyes widening in sheer shock. He took a step back and waved her off, "_You_? You _make_ all the color?" He laughed aloud, "How can you _make _color? That doesn't happen, 'Rainbow', it doesn't make any sense."

The girl gave him a cocky look and stepped forward, "Yeah? Well try this on!" She pressed the star on her belt again, and another beam of brightly colored lights emanated from it and slid on the ground, under his feet, paving a multi-colored walkway for him, "Then how did I do that?"

Chris let his jaw hang where it fell. He shook his head, "I guess I have no rebuttal for that," he sighed, and laughed to himself a bit. Today had started so normal, and now, here he was beginning to believe a girl with a talking horse and a living white pillow with antennae's could create rainbows from her belt.

He shook his head, and bent down, crouched above the rainbow he now stood on, and reached out his hand, lightly tracing a circle on its surface. Sighing, Chris stood up and held out his hand, "Still here," he informed her, "Not walking on sunshine, or anything."

"Well, there's only one group of people who can stand on rainbows, or touch them without being covered in them," Rainbow stated, crossing her arms, and tilting her head at Chris with a knowing look in her eyes, "Wanna go for a trip?"

Twink tugged at her sleeve, "Rainbow, not again! You remember what happened with Brian. You said yourself that normal human's should no longer be allowed in Rainbow Land!"

Rainbow turned back to the small Sprite, and whispered, "It'll be alright, trust me."

"A trip," Chris repeated, ignoring the personal conversation between the two, "On the flying egotistical horse? No, I'm cool here."

"Aww, come on," Rainbow pleaded as she jumped back onto Starlite, "What else do you have to do today?"

Obviously defeated in the battle of wits, Chris sighed and shrugged, "No, I guess not," he said, and approached the rainbow on which her steed stood. Nervously, he stepped up onto it, and looked around, before jumping up on the horse's back, sliding backwards enough to let Twink sit comfortably between himself and Rainbow.

"Here we go," She said, as Starlite reared up and turned about, heading back up the rainbow, and into the clouds.

"Well, I'm sure that didn't cause a scene," Chris laughed, looking back at the ground, as the rainbow sidewalk disappeared in a blur, and faded to nothing, "besides, where is the '_here_' that we're going to?"

"No one on the ground saw it," Rainbow smiled, "No one other than those who interact with the rainbows can see me, or my friends."

"Great," Chris moaned, "So all the neighbors think I'm even loonier than they did before."

Rainbow giggled, "...And we're heading to Rainbow Land."

Again, Chris smirked with a sarcastic smile, "Awesome, and I forgot extra money to buy cotton candy..."

Meanwhile, back in the cold dark reaches of Rainbow Land, in a place known as The Pits, a piece of cloth fluttered in the wind. Throughout the ages, it had wandered the currents of drafts and gales, resting only periodically on it's journey before being lifted to the dark gray skies of this land again. Years before, it had been worn by the Dark One who ruled what is now Rainbow Land.

Wavering in the cold wind, as if it had a mind of its own, it drifted towards a dome shaped settlement, housed on the edge of a winding path, high above the jagged rocks far below. Whether by natural cause, or manufactured so, it resembled the face of an ogre, its open maw of a mouth acting as a front door, and eyes as windows. The cloth summoned one last burst of energy and fluttered through the opening of the face's eye, landing on the floor of a makeshift laboratory.

"Lurky!"

The shrill voice echoed through stone halls, as a diminutive man dressed in grey clothing, his skin a lifeless tone of blue, raised his hands in anger over his head, "Where are you, you bumbling oaf!?"

As if on cue, a hefty looking ball of brown fur in red Converse tennis shoes stumbled through the door, running full speed into his superior, and knocking him to the floor. He bent down, picked the man up, and stood him on his feet, "Yes, Murky? I'm right here Murky!"

"Would you pick up your trash," Murky demanded, pointing down at the cloth that had moments before landed at his feet.

"But," Lurky began, his word drawn out in a lapse of brain power, "It isn't mine, Murky."

"Well, it sure isn't mine," Murky growled, fist balled, "Do something with it!"

"Oh boy," Lurky laughed, picking up the cloth and tying it around his neck as an impromptu cape, "Look at me, Murky!"

A glass beaker flew through the air and pelted the childish brute in the head, and he fell to the floor. Murky simply glared at him, "You idiot, get out of here, before you break something else!"

"But... I didn't break it, you d–," He was interrupted by another glass bottle being hurled over his head.

"OUT!!!"

Lurky struggled to his feet, and dusted off his back end. With arms extended ahead of him, he jogged from the lab and into the hallway.

"Look at me," Lurky cried, speaking to no one, but acting as if he was in front of an audience of some form, "I'm a super hero!"

"_Silence..."_

Lurky halted in his tracks, and looked about, "Huh? Murky?"

There was no response. Only the sound of the wind outside.

He shrugged, and went back to his antics, playing around like a child.

"_Be still, you fool!"_

He stopped again, his eyes darting about the empty hallway, "Wh–... who's there?"

"_Your true lord,"_ the voice whispered, echoing from no where, _"And I've returned from my exile... to put my land back in order..."_

To Be Continued...


End file.
